samhexum

If there’s one thing the St. Paul Saints know better than baseball, it’s pigs. When former team president Mike Veeck was taking a walk along the Mississippi River, he came across a historical marker that read: "St. Paul, formally known as Pig’s Eye Landing." Named after an old French trapper called Pig’s Eye Perrant, Veeck saw this history and knew he had to incorporate it somehow into the Saints franchise. So he sent a St. Paul staff member on a mission to find a pig to become the team's live animal mascot. The quest went all the way to Wisconsin, but eventually, the team struck gold. “That was really the first contract ever signed by the St. Paul Saints,” team GM Derek Sharrer said. “It wasn’t a player. It was a pig farmer.” For the past 30 years, the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate has engaged in the unique tradition of a ball pig who delivers baseballs and sports drinks to the home plate umpire, often with wonderfully punny names like 867-530Swine, Notorious P.I.G, Ham Solo, Kevin Bacon and SlumHog Millionaire, chosen by St. Paul staff via thousands of fan submissions. But as is the case with many long-standing rituals, sometimes changes must be made. The Saints, formerly an independent ballclub, used to only play a handful of home games that required a ball pig’s presence. As a Minor League franchise, they have 75 home games to play, and in the span of 150 total games, a pig will grow from 1 pound to over 300, at which point it becomes unmanageable. To accommodate this, the pig farmer recommended the team have two pigs, so the club decided on a first-half and second-half pig. Since the Saints now announce a new pig midseason, they recently conducted an in-game contest on social media in which fans submitted name suggestions and the staff picked a new one on the spot. So what’s the name of the 2023 second-half ball pig? None other than Squealon Musk.

HEAD OVER FOR DINNER AFTER... The Kiwanis Club of Glendale is continuing its annual tradition of hosting a summer street fair along the busy stretch of Myrtle Avenue between Fresh Pond Road and Forest Avenue on Sunday, July 23. Vendors and local businesses will provide fairgoers with prizes, free giveaway items and key community-building conversations. There will also be various games, activities and entertainment for kids to enjoy during the fair, which is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. AND/OR... The Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District will also host its Ridgewood Farmstand event on Cypress Avenue between Myrtle and Putnam avenues from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 22. The farmstand is also available every weekend in the summer.

Shouldn't the hot duck be the one being splashed with cold water, not you?

So brevity runs in the family? 😇😁😜

Ehh... you've seen one member, you've seen them all.

A couple of indelible Junior's memories: 1. We were sitting at a table by a window that faced the gymnasium/theater when I saw the first waterbug I'd ever seen, on the floor. FUN! 2. I still have the toolbox & tools my dad found on the sidewalk as we walked back to the car after my family ate there one night, which we often did when I was a young'n. Somebody must've been working on a car then forgot it because it was by the curb. BTW, Brooklyn's tallest building is being built next to Junior's, after they turned down beaucoup bucks to sell & move nearby.

Connecticut McDonald's slammed for charging $18 for Big Mac meal not even if it were served by oiled up muscular lovelies in speedos! (full disclosure: this is at a highway rest stop, which are not usually known for bargains)

US Stock Rally Plows Forward Amid Peak-Rate Bets US stocks rose on Wednesday as investors cheered cooling inflation in the UK and looked ahead to a kickoff in tech earnings due at the close of New York trading.

Midtown miracle Two NYC cops help mom deliver baby boy near Lincoln Tunnel entrance Port Authority Police officers Timothy Jozefczyk and Evan Butt helped deliver a baby boy during a morning rush hour. How many people can say they were delivered by a butt? A fairly cute butt, I might add... Officer Evan Butt, who has now assisted with five deliveries, later arrived to help with clamping the umbilical cord.

Nothing. They'd pay ME for the privilege of being in my company.

Big Apple steal A look inside NYC's cheapest apartment — and what it's going for The listing price for this New York City co-op sounds so unbelievable that it may seem to be a hoax — but no, this isn’t a scam. A spacious alcove studio in Jamaica, Queens, is on the market for the rock-bottom price of $80,000, making it the cheapest residential property currently for sale within city limits, according to StreetEasy listing data. Despite the five-figure asking price, lead listing agent Mark Cisneros of Keller Williams says that the unit is a standard co-op and not one designated as a Housing Development Fund Corporation, more commonly known as an HDFC. (Those are co-ops that are earmarked with strict financial requirements to give low-income New Yorkers affordable housing.) Still, the sale of this unit does come with some fine print. The requirements to be considered, Cisneros says, are that owners must have a minimum annual income of $40,000 for three consecutive years and a net worth of at least $25,000. Located on a quiet residential street in Jamaica near the bustling thoroughfare of Jamaica Avenue and the main branch of the Queens Public Library, the studio is large and sun-drenched, according to Cisneros. The unit has hardwood floors and a full kitchen. No, it doesn’t have a dishwasher, but there is counter space and cabinets, though the listing images show the space could use an update — which the listing price can afford. While not a walk-in, the closet for clothes, shoes and “stuff” in general isn’t minuscule either — nor is the bathroom that fits a full bathtub. The co-op is situated in Avalon Terrace: a clean, well-kept building constructed in 1963 with an elevator, a laundry room and a garage. Its asking price puts it nearly $20,000 below the city’s next least-expensive listing: a 650-square-foot one-bedroom co-op in Spuyten Duyvil — an area of The Bronx that’s very close to Inwood in Manhattan — asking $96,154, whose listing says there’s already an accepted offer. That home hit the market last Thursday. Cisneros says that the Queens apartment has been on the market since June 21st and generated strong interest right from the start. “We got multiple offers from day one,” he said. “The lowest offer was for the asking price, and most were above $100,000. Numerous were all-cash offers. Right now, we have an accepted offer that’s in the six figures, but it’s not in contract yet.” Cisneros declined to give specifics on the seller, only revealing that it’s a family that has owned the co-op for several decades. In his StreetEasy description of the property, Cisneros cites rental data on the area to entice bidders: according to the research firm Rentometer, he says, the average rent of a studio per month in Jamaica is $1,980. Monthly mortgage and maintenance payments — the latter being $630, StreetEasy shows — for the property to work out to be less. Jonathan Miller, the president and chief executive of the real estate appraisal and consulting firm Miller Samuel, says the average sale price for a co-op in Queens is about $340,000, per his market report series for Douglas Elliman. “We are used to looking at the headline numbers like these, but these market numbers are averages, meaning prices can be much higher and lower,” he said. “You don’t hear about them, but there are a fair amount of apartments that come up for in New York that cost under $100,000,” he added. “We’re all so obsessed with the high-end market that all of our attention goes there.”

I think you should plan afterparty across the street at Juniors. Maybe you can get a tour there as well as some samples!

I think I read about that. Wasn't there some kind of controversy because some of the rabbits wore masks and others refused to?

Battle of the bulge Hamptons men flock to docs for penis injections in hopes of beefing up for summer “There’s definitely penis envy out in the Hamptons,” quipped urologist Dr. David Shusterman, founder of NY Urology. I think we can safely say that this year's Pulitzer Prize for journalism has been locked up!

Ukrainian women flash helicopter fighter pilots to boost morale you know, people complain that there are no fresh ideas in gay porn. Well, I have one...

EXCLUSIVE Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello divorcing after 7-year marriage

Well, in my more urban experience, I've seen a full grown moose that's gentle enough to be friends with a squirrel.

I can't wait until the rabbits organize and start patrolling the area with AK-47s. You're probably the type who would do nothing and let a bear kill a moose calf.

That's quite a gherkin he's jerkin'!

He was cleaning up his yard after a storm and a tree trunk fell on him and broke his back. Dorothy:Oh, come on, Ma. That's superstitious nonsense. You know, step on a crack, break your mother's back. It doesn't work. I know. [ominous pause] I tried.

Me, too

No word on the whereabouts of Daffy Duck... South Florida residents have a hare-raising problem in their community. A bunny breeder based in Fort Lauderdale illegally let loose a thriving group of domesticated rabbits on the streets, leaving neighbors to deal with the problem. “One of the neighbors moved a couple of years ago, and she just left her rabbits in the street when she moved,” Alicia Griggs, local rabbit supporter, told the Associated Press. “They were not spayed or neutered, so they started multiplying.” Between 60 and 100 lion head rabbits have made new homes in the backyards of houses located in Wilton Manors, a suburb of the coastal metro area. Starting at just 3 months old, the female rabbits birth litters of two-to-six offspring every month. Their thick fur and daring nature aren’t the best fit for outdoor life in the Sunshine State, thanks to hot temperatures and predators. “They’re not supposed to be in the heat because they could have a heat stroke when the temperatures get above 85 and there’s predators all around that can kill them. And we’ve found dead rabbits all over the place,” Griggs shared. Some residents of Jenada Isles, an 81-home community in Wilton Manors, find that having the bunnies around brings a sense of joy to the neighborhood. One resident, Gator Carter, puts out food for the lionheads and his two young grandchildren enjoy feeding rabbits to the animals. WTF?!? “People drive by, stop, love ’em, feed ’em,” Carter said. “They don’t bother me. We have a couple Airbnbs on the island here and the people (guests) are just amazed that the rabbits come right up to them.” Having bunnies hopping around the neighborhood might be a cute addition for some, but it’s also been an annoyance to others. “Every morning, first thing I do is get up and cover up the holes and chase them out of the backyard too. I like them, but I just wish they would go somewhere else,” local resident Jon King, deceased porn star, said. “Rescue would be great.” King said the hares dig holes in his yards and leave bunny droppings on sidewalks and driveways. He shared he had to spend $200 to repair his outdoor lights after the rabbits chewed on the wiring. The rabbit repeller didn’t work for King, and his little dog doesn’t scare them either. In fact, King’s dog “is their best friend.” Awww! The best chance of survival for these domesticated rabbits would be moving them to where they belong — inside homes, away from all possible dangers. Jon King describes the damage caused by rabbits. Death has not been too kind to him! The City of Wilton Manors initially said the rabbits would need to be exterminated, but backtracked and agreed to allow residents some time to raise money in order to rescue the lionheads and get them into homes. “The safety of this rabbit population is of utmost importance to the City, and any decision to involve ourselves will be certain to see these rabbits placed into the hands of people with a passion to provide the necessary care and love for these rabbits,” Police Chief Gary 'Beta' Blocker said in a statement. “They really need to be rescued. So we’ve tried to get the city to do it, but they’re just dragging their feet,” Griggs said. “They think that if they do that, then they’ll have to get rid of iguanas and everything else that people don’t want around.” Griggs is initiating the push to raise $20,000 to $40,000, which would cover the costs to capture, neuter, vaccinate, shelter and give away the growing group of bunnies, which “is not an easy process,” according to Monica Mitchell, whose East Coast Rabbit Rescue would likely lead the effort. Mitchell shared that very few veterinarians actually treat rabbits, and people interested in owning them tend to back out once they find out how much work these animals are. “People don’t realize they’re exotic pets and they’re complicated. They have a complicated digestive system and they have to eat a special diet,” Griggs admitted. “You can’t just throw any table scraps at them.” Alicia Griggs is initiating the push to raise $20,000 to $40,000, which would cover the costs to capture, neuter, vaccinate, shelter and give away the growing group of bunnies. https://nypost.com/2023/07/17/rabbits-invade-town-run-amok-on-residents-they-started-multiplying/